Method and system to facilitate a search of an information resource

Abstract

Methods and systems to facilitate a search of an information resource is disclosed. In various embodiments, a distribution of a plurality of data items across a plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to an attribute is identified. The attribute may be shared by at least two of the plurality of data items. Based on a determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes at least two peaks, the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute is communicated.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 at least one processor; 
 an analyzing module implemented by the at least one processor and configured to:
 identify a distribution of a plurality of data items across a plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to an attribute, the attribute being shared by at least two of the plurality of data items, the identifying including accessing a plurality of entries in a hash table, the hash table selected based on whether the attribute is a sub-range attribute or an exact-match attribute; and 
 determine that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes at least two peaks; and 
 
 a communication module configured to, based on the determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes the at least two peaks, communicate the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication module further bases the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges on a determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than a communication of an additional distribution, the additional distribution being a distribution of the data items across an additional plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein the determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than the communication of the additional distribution is based on a determination that the additional distribution has at least one of no modes, one mode, and no peaks. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes communicating a user interface that includes a plurality of attribute value selectors that correspond to the attribute value ranges. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein a selection of an attribute value selector of the plurality of attribute value selectors results in a filtering of the plurality of data items by the attribute value range corresponding to the attribute value selector. 
     
     
       6. A method comprising:
 identifying a distribution of a plurality of data items across a plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to an attribute, the attribute being shared by at least two of the plurality of data items, the identifying including accessing a plurality of entries in a hash table, the hash table selected based on whether the attribute is a sub-range attribute or an exact match attribute; and 
 determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes at least two peaks; 
 based on the determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes the at least two peaks, communicating the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
 
     
     
       7. The method  claim 6 , wherein the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges is further based on a determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than a communication of an additional distribution, the additional distribution being a distribution of the data items across an additional plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than the communication of the additional distribution is based on a determination that the additional distribution has at least one of no modes, one mode, and no peaks. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes communicating a user interface that includes a plurality of attribute value selectors that correspond to the attribute value ranges. 
     
     
       10. A machine-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations including:
 identifying a distribution of a plurality of data items across a plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to an attribute, the attribute being shared by at least two of the plurality of data items, the identifying including accessing a plurality of entries in a hash table, the hash table selected based on whether the attribute is a sub-range attribute or an exact-match attribute; and 
 determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes at least two peaks; and 
 based on the determining that the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes the at least two peaks, communicating the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
 
     
     
       11. The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges is further based on a determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than a communication of an additional distribution, the additional distribution being a distribution of the data items across an additional plurality of attribute value ranges corresponding to the attribute. 
     
     
       12. The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the determination that the communication would better facilitate the filtering of the plurality of data items than the communication of the additional distribution is based on a determination that the additional distribution has at least one of no modes, one mode, and no peaks. 
     
     
       13. The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the communicating of the distribution of the plurality of data items across the plurality of attribute value ranges includes communicating a user interface that includes a plurality of attribute value selectors that correspond to the attribute value ranges. 
     
     
       14. The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein a selection of an attribute value selector of the plurality of attribute value selectors results in a filtering of the plurality of data items by the attribute value range corresponding to the attribute value selector.